Reversing propeller.



No. 803,560. v PATBNTEDNOV. 7, 1905.

' E. B. & L. S. CUSHMAN.

.REVERSING PROPELLER.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 24.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses v g lnven'tors. g W by Attorneys UNITED STATES 'PArnNT ornion.

EVERETT B. GUSHMAN AND LESLIE S. CUSHMAN, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

REVERSING FFKOPELLER.4

Specification of Letters Patent.i

Patented Nov. 7, 1905.

Application filed June 24, 1905. Serial No. 266,840.

To all tf1/tom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EvnRn'rT B. CUsHMAN and LESLIE S. CUsHuAN, citizensof the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancasterand State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful ReversingPropeller, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to screw-propellers, and has for itsprincipalobject to provide a novel form of propeller whichmay be readily reversedor the position of the blades adjusted in order to alter the directionof travel of the boat or to increase or decrease the speed.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism of simple andcompact construction and so arranged as to prevent choking of the partsby grass or seaweed.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is asectional elevation of areversible screw-propeller constructed in accordance with the invention.Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the sectional casing for adjustingthe positions of the propeller-blades. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview of the device on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 drawn to an enlarged scale.Fig. 4 is a view showing the propeller adjusted for driving the boatahead. Fig. 5 shows the propeller adjusted for driving the boa't astern.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The main shaft 10 is led out through the stern of the boat and isprovided at its rear end with a head-block 11, that is rigidly securedto the shaft. This block is bifurcated, forming a pair of ears 12, thatare provided with openings for the passage of stems 13 and 14, that areformed integral with propellerblades 15, and these stems interfit, thestem 13 having a reduced portion 15, that extends within a suitablerecess 1G, formed in the stem 14.

Secured rigidly to the stems 13 and 14 are gear-segments 19 and 20,which serve also as means for preventing longitudinal displacement ofthe stems. The gear-teeth carried by the segments are offset in orderthat they may engage with a pair of racks 21 and 22, arranged atdiametrically opposite points in an approximately cylindrical shell orcasing 23, that surrounds the head-block 11. By arranging the gears atdiametrically opposite points the casing may be made of comparativelysmall diameter and by fitting closely around the stems of thepropeller-blades lessen the danger of choking up the propeller bysea-grass or the like.

The opposite sides of the casing, which is preferably made in twosections, are provided with elongated slots 26 for the passage of thestems 13 and 14, and at the outer end of the casing is a suitable bolt27, connecting the two sections to each other. The forward end of thecasing is reduced in diameter and provided with threads for thereception of a threaded cap or sleeve 28, the forward end of which issecured to a hollow shaft or sleeve 29, surrounding the main shaft 10and extending to the interior of the boat.

In order to adjust the casing, any suitable mechanism may be employed,this in the present instance comprising an adjusting-lever 31, movableover a suitable locking-segment 32 and connected to the sleeve 29. Bymoving` the lever in one direction or theother the sleeve may be shiftedlengthwise of the shaft, andthe racks will operate through thegear-segments to rotate the propeller-blades and adjust the same for thepurpose of driving the boat either forward or backward, or by minoradjustment the angle of the blade may be changed in order to increase ordecrease the speed of travel of the boat. The blades may, further, be ofsuch shape that when adjusted to a mid-position they will extend on trueradial lines and may be revolved in the water without moving' the boateither forward or backward, thus affording a convenient means ofstopping' the boat without the vnecessity of stopping the engine.

With a propeller constructed in accordance head-block at the end of theshaft, propeller- IIO blades having interengaging stems extendingthrough said block, gear-segments carried by the stems, alongitudinally-movable casing su rrounding the head-block andslotted forthe passage of the stems, and racks carried by the casing andintermeshing with the gearsegments.

2. In a screw-propeller, a shaft, a recessed head-block at the end ofthe shaft, propellerblades having stems extending through openings inthe head-block, gear-segments secured to said stems and serving toprevent longitudinal displacement of the same, and alongitudinally-movable slotted casing surrounding said head-block andhaving racks with which the gear-segments intermesh.

3. 1n a screw-propeller, the combination with a shaft, of a recessedhead-block at the end of the shaft, propeller-blades having interiittingstems extending through the headblock, gear-segments secured to thestems and arranged Within the recessed portion of the head-block, thegear-teeth of the segments being disposed at diametrically oppositepoints with respect to the axis of the shaft, asectional casingsurrounding the shaft and slotted for the passage of said stems, a boltconnecting the outer ends of the casingsections, a cap member secured toand connecting the inner ends of said sections, said cap extendingaround the shaft, a sleeve secured to the shaft, a sleeve-adjustingmeans, and racks carried by the casing and `intermeshing with the teethof the gear-segments.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own We have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

i EVERETT B. CUSHMAN.

LESLIE lS. CUSHMAN. lVitnesses:

CARRIE L. AKnsoN, C. C. FLANSBURG.

